SINGAPORE: Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh kicked off her world championship campaign in sensational fashion, powering to gold in the women’s 400m freestyle on Sunday. Clocking 3:56.26, the 18-year-old world record holder left the field trailing, including American legend Katie Ledecky, who had to settle for bronze behind China’s Li Bingjie.
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McIntosh led from the first stroke, showcasing both tactical mastery and endurance, before returning swiftly to top the heats of the 200m individual medley (IM) with a time of 2:07.39 — just shy of her world record. With five individual titles in her sights, McIntosh is on track to match Michael Phelps’ historic feat, becoming the first woman to do so.
“Mentally compartmentalizing each race is something I’ve really focused on,” McIntosh said, underscoring the maturity that belies her age.
But it wasn’t just McIntosh making waves. In a remarkable debut, 12-year-old Yu Zidi of China qualified for the 200 IM final, clocking 2:10.22 — a time faster than McIntosh herself at that age. Yu, already a national sensation in China, continues to break barriers and now seems poised to become a future global contender.
In the men’s 400m freestyle final, Germany’s Lukas Maertens claimed his maiden world title with a thrilling finish, narrowly out-touching Australia’s Sam Short by just 0.02 seconds. South Korea’s defending champion Kim Woo-min earned bronze in a tightly contested race that kept fans on edge.
Australia ended the night on a golden note, winning both 4x100m freestyle relay events. The women’s quartet of Mollie O’Callaghan, Meg Harris, Milla Jansen, and Olivia Wunsch edged out the USA in 3:30.66, thanks to a heroic anchor leg from Wunsch. The men followed suit as Kyle Chalmers closed out in spectacular style, clocking a blistering 46.53 to seal the victory ahead of Italy and the US.
“This is what we trained for, what we believed we could do — and we delivered,” said Chalmers after the win.
In other action, American Gretchen Walsh and Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk jointly topped the women’s 100m butterfly semifinals with 56.07. China’s Zhang Yufei also secured a spot in the final.
France’s Maxime Grousset led the charge in the men’s 50m butterfly (22.61), ahead of Noe Ponti (Switzerland) and Benjamin Proud (Great Britain).
Looking ahead to Monday, Summer McIntosh is set to headline again in the women’s 200 IM final, while medals will also be decided in the men’s 50 butterfly and 100 breaststroke, where Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi was reinstated after his disqualification was overturned.
The Singapore World Championships are shaping up to be a thrilling blend of rising talent and veteran excellence — and this is just the beginning.
